Kosher Press In Your Inbox

Petah Tikva’s ‘Road of Death’ to be closed off

November 9, 2014

The City of Petak Tikva decided Sunday to shut down public transport routes on Jabotinsky Street, following several recent deadly accidents on the road. Some 21 people have been killed there over the last five years. The decision to close the so-called “road of death” was made by Mayor Yitzhak Braverman. The municipality said that work would shortly begin to move the bus stations to the side of the road and that the closure would occur over the following two days.

The public transport routes on Jabotinsky Street were established at a cost of millions of shekels in order to give higher priority to public transport and ease traffic congestion.

According to figures from the Or Yarok (Green Light) organization, in the years 2011-2013 there were 38 accidents in the Junction, in which 51 were injured. In 2013 alone, there were ten accidents that wounded 12 people .

The most recent fatal accident on the road occurred a week ago, when a 65-year-old pedestrian was serious injured from being hit by a bus and later died.

Aside from an investigation into the accident, the police announced that they would look into traffic arrangements and double lanes – for vehicles and public transports – that might mislead crossing pedestrians.

Shmuel Aboav, the CEO of Or Yarok, said after the recent accident that “the road of blood at Jabotinsky must be shut down until a bridge is built to separate pedestrians from vehicles, and especially buses. A re-opening of the Denmark and Jabotinsky intersection is an unnecessary gamble on the lives of pedestrians who cross the busy and dangerous road.”